New Delhi, Jun 14: Virat Kohli’s third ever Test match as India captain was a rain-affected disaster. In the four days of the Test so far, only 133.4 overs have been bowled in between persistent bouts of rain. On day 5, while there is no probability of there being a result, captain Kohli must use the day to hone his skills, opines Rishad D’Souza.
If there is one enemy of cricket that is more damaging to the game than the authorities of the game themselves, it has to be the shower God! For numerous reasons, cricket is not a sport that can be played under, the otherwise joyous, droplets of heaven-water! And the rain was unrelenting during the first four days of India’s one-off Test against Bangladesh,rendering chances of a result on Day Five only a statistical possibility.
In the 133.4 overs so far, India have batted 103.3 overs to score 462 for six before declaring, while Bangladesh have responded with 111 for three in the remainder of the overs. To obtain a result 17 wickets will have to be taken by India in the day, after getting Bangladesh to follow on. Bangladesh in recent times have shown they are no lame pushovers. Besides, there is some rain forecasted for even on Day 5, so practically it is best to recognise that this Test will end in a tame draw.
India and Bangladesh will both be extremely disappointed with how weather has ruined the cricket for them and are not likely to take Day Five seriously. However, Kohli should view this as a platform for experimentation. He can take the opportunity to try and figure out winning combinations.
Given how tame a draw the Test match is most likely to end in, scrutiny over Kohli’s decisions will be low. Hence he can take the liberty to set unconventional fields, dispense his bowlers overs in unique patterns and get an idea of what approach works (or doesn’t) best for his side, if and when play begins.
Moreover, this approach may inject some life into a Test match that has literally been overshadowed by black clouds. After all, even the audiences will want to view something out of the box, rather than simply sitting through the overs of drag and inconsequence. If Kohli’s approach brings about some exciting results, they will praise and encourage him.
Captains like Brendon McCullum and Michael Clarke have made it clear, that in the present era aggression with a dash of innovation is the mantra to success. Aggression comes naturally to Kohli and he must not miss out on this opportunity to hone and exercise that other facet.
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